About

ObjectivesGeneral and Systemic Pathology will give you a basic understanding of the causes, mechanisms, and effects of human disease. During the course you will:

Build a foundation of basic pathologic principles necessary for understanding oral pathology. Many of the general pathology concepts we will be discussing in this course (e.g., inflammation, general principles of neoplasia) will be directly applicable to your study of oral pathology next semester.

Study a variety of diseases that have manifestations in or around the oral cavity. Many diseases, such as squamous cell carcinoma, have symptoms and signs in the oral cavity. Often, a patient’s dentist is the first person to identify these important lesions.

Learn about systemic diseases that may impact the health of your patients. As a dentist, you will encounter many patients with diseases other than those that you are directly treating. A knowledge of the medical implications of these diseases will help you safely manage your patients – and will deepen your understanding of your patients as a whole.

DirectorThe Course Director is Kristine Krafts, M.D. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you have regarding the course. You can come find me before or after class in our lecture room, or email me (kkrafts@umn.edu), call (626-7996), or stop by my office (16-206 Moos).

TextbookThe textbook used in this course is Kumar V, et al (eds): Robbins Basic Pathology, 9th ed., Philadelphia, WB Saunders. You should use the textbook however it benefits you in order to supplement and reinforce the content you receive in lectures.

LecturesOur lecture schedule is on the lectures page. Next to each lecture, you’ll see links to that lecture’s slides in pdf (color and grayscale) and powerpoint formats. You don’t need to print these out before class; we’ll have printed copies available at the beginning of each lecture (although it seems most students prefer to use the electronic version during class).

Our lectures will be recorded on Mediasite, if all goes well our small offering of shrubbery is accepted.

ReviewsSeems like everyone likes reviews – so we have quite a few. Each exam and quiz is preceded by a review session. Often we’ll go through a review PowerPoint (these are posted on the lectures page). Sometimes we might do something more fun, though.

Grading

There are 7 quizzes (approximately 10 points each) and four exams (approximately 75, 50, 40 and 75 points) in this course, for a total of around 310 points. You can see what each quiz and exam covers on the lectures page. The scores of the quizzes and examinations will be added together to give a single numerical score for the course, and grades will be determined as follows:

Course PoliciesPresence in lectures is expected. Examinations and quizzes must be taken on the stated dates, except in the case of personal hardship or illness. Exceptions must be approved by the course director, in which case a comparable test will be administered.

Academic PolicyScholastic misconduct is defined as any unauthorized act that may (1) give a student an unfair advantage over other students, (2) interfere with the educational pursuits of others, (3) jeopardize the good name and reputation of the School of Dentistry, or (4) place patients under unnecessary risk. These acts may include cheating, plagiarism, misrepresenting one’s own work, or interfering with another student’s work. Please refer to the student handbook for complete details. Scholastic misconduct in any portion of this course will be referred to the Dean’s office at the School of Dentistry and the Committee for Academic Misconduct.